On July 15th, 1965, Martin Luther King was the guest of honor at Syracuse University’s 14th Annual Summer Session Banquet. The theme of this banquet was “The Role of Education in the Civil Rights Movement”, a topic Dr. King was more than qualified to speak on. He delivered a particularly rousing speech that night in front of over 1,000 guests, including Syracuse Mayor William Walsh. The speech, titled “The Time Is Always Right”, provided the foundation for the forward of his book “Why We Can’t Wait”.

     Charles Willie, the grandson of slaves and the first African-American professor at Syracuse, introduced Dr. King that night. Willie and Dr. King were college classmates at Morehouse University in the late 1940s, where they developed a bond that would last until Dr. King’s death. Dr. King signed this program in black pen. His signature is placed near the top of this program from the banquet. This item comes encased in a 10x12 inch silver frame and King’s signature comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA.

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